Friday, July 13, 2012

The Downside of the Common Core

Submitted to the Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), July 13, 2012

There is another side to the cheerful description of the Common Core presented in “Memphis teachers learning new ways to teach” (July 13). Yes, the TCAP test will disappear, but it will be replaced by more than just one test. The common core will require not only tests at the end of the year, but also interim tests given throughout the year, and might also require pretests in the fall. The tests must be administered online, and the cost of connecting all students will be enormous. Also the Common Core has not been field-tested – it is an expensive experiment using all of our children as experimental subjects.

Stephen Krashen

Original article: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/13/memphis-teachers-learning-new-ways-to-teach/